Raleigh to Jupiter with children? (Boca Raton, Delray Beach: condos, crime, mortgage)

[Bobstar]

"No, he never needed to sit for the Bar. He made over $100K (last year $250K). Now he's making $30K part-time and no benefits. We never saw this coming!"

IMO - your husband needs to study for a take the Fla Bar! I came down here 1 year ago and took the bar. My practice is growing everyday. Whether he would be considered a "first year" or not, he would double his salary entry level. No offense, but if you guys are facing foreclosure and this has not been considered, well . . . .

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by Bobstar

IMO - your husband needs to study for a take the Fla Bar! I came down here 1 year ago and took the bar. My practice is growing everyday. Whether he would be considered a "first year" or not, he would double his salary entry level. No offense, but if you guys are facing foreclosure and this has not been considered, well . . . .

I'll have to keep your screenname handy

[Seattle_PT]

Originally Posted by Tungsten_Udder

I grew up and went to grade school in the West Palm Beach area. I always thought the multicultural experience I had was invaluable. I partially credit it with my current levels of tolerance and empathy.

Yes, so do I actually.
But I also remember how much trouble I could have, or almost got into in that area. And I remember the potential dangers of the area. Which makes me nervous about raising a family there.

When I was going to highschool in the area I remember quite a bit of racial tension too though. This is in the mid-90s. Not just between the white and black students occasionally. But between the Black and Haitian students mostly.

Again, I think for the most part Jupiter is great.

[BroQuest]

but why leave raleigh for south fla?

[Alphaman]

From the original post I see no valid reasons for uprooting children to move here just because you are bored.

I Would stay in Raleigh just because you really don`t have any reason to leave, I am sure there is plenty to do there.

[BroQuest]

raleigh is an awesome place to live, i mean, why leave a place with many more positives? to me, south fla has more negatives than positives, and raliegh is the opposite.

[Bored in Raleigh]

Thanks for your concern Alphaman - but in truth, my kids are just as excited about a move as we are! You are right - there are a lot of great things about the area -- and since we've begun this quest, we've seen that Raleigh is growing by leaps & bounds, culturally, and it definately heading in the right direction. In fact, the past two weekends we've spend downtown with the kids are art festivals and street fairs! Like I said before - I'm sorry that I used the name Bored in Raleigh - because it's not really an accurate name... It's not Raleigh's fault, it is a beautiful, safe and friendly area -- I think we're just ready for a change! We'd all like to shake things up a bit!

That being said, there are still some major issues here that we have to consider - the most important being school! The public schools here address reassignment issues every year - and although you may not have to move schools - there's always that undlying fear that you may. As a result, it's hard for some to "get attached" to their schools and parents don't always want to put their all into bettering a school that their kids may not even being going to again next year - or that their siblings won't be able to follow in the years to come. At least that's how I feel about it... I know lots of great and generous families who have pulled their kids out for private, or even home schooling, because they felt that they had to work so hard to make their schools strong - and that sometimes it was all for nothing. There is a A LOT of bussing that goes on here too. And believe me, I think that diversity is great...but when the kids in child's kindergarten class doesn't know his colors, in spanish or english, by the age of five - but they can easily use swear words bilingually - I think I'd like to have my kids spend their days somewhere else.

There are magnet schools, but those are very hard to get into & are not generally located in the safest or most convenient neighborhoods. A 45 minute commute each way makes for a very long day for a student - espeically if they play sports or take dance. Charter schools are excellent, but nearly impossible to get into, as they are done by strict lottery - and siblings must wait a full year to bring other siblings onto the long lottery list for siblings -- with it unlikely that they'll even get in for a few years, if at all... I've been trying for 6 years. I've made the wait list once - and not a single student was pulled in from the list that year.

Private schools are VERY expensive, (non religious based school, which are the only one's we'd consider, are about $16K per year per student)- and have some drawbacks of their own.

I'd love to find an area that uses "neighborhood schools" - like they have up in the north - and Jupiter - so you can count on where your children will be going and what the student body will be like -- unlike the "Mystery Date" style they have here! Each year, you never know who will be your classmates.

Plus, I'd love to see palm trees each day & hear the sound of the ocean...AND it seems like in a few months, it may be an excellent buyers market down there!

I am so grateful for all of the thoughtful feedback that has been coming in on this thread. It's been interesting to see the various opinions of the Jupiter area. I guess the only real way to know is for us to visit ourselves - which we'll be doing soon -- but please, keep those comments coming!!!! We really appreciate it!

[BroQuest]

"but when the kids in child's kindergarten class doesn't know his colors, in spanish or english, by the age of five - but they can easily use swear words bilingually - I think I'd like to have my kids spend their days somewhere else."


in all honesty, if you think this is a problem in raliegh, you aint seen nothin yet if you move to south fla.

IF you decide to move to south fla, i strongly urge you to live in jupiter or palm bch gardens. i dont advise anything further south. also, get used to "why in the hell would you move here from nc?" we got it a lot! some folks may not be interested in why you came from nc, especially if they are from a big northeastern city (they tend to think south fla is great) but a lot of your average, blue collar workers that have lived in fla for a while may ask you.

[Mary bedard]

Hell-0,
We live in Jupiter and raised 2 sons here. We moved here from OH when they were entering 6th and7th grades. They adapted wonderfully even though they loved OH. They were accepted into the Magnet schools down here and did fantastically. Magnet schools are free public schools , you have to submit an application and become accepted. The bus rides are longer due to the schools placement but not a big deal. Our sons are now 21 and 22 and doing well in life and not afraid to explore new avenues/challenges. My husband and I are now moving to TX the end of this month due to a new job position. Sorry to leave our neighborhood because everyone is so warm and friendly and we have some fantastic get-togethers. We all watch out for eachother and babysit eachothers pets if one is away for vacation, etc.
We don't want to sell our home just rent it out. We have a pool and are on a lake lot. I think you and your family would love Jupiter. Let me know if you have any questions about the area. I'm an ER nurse and have worked here in different hospitals for these past years.

[PhotogGal]

I have two stepsons, both of whom lived in South Florida for years, finally settling in Jupiter. It is a beautiful area, to be sure, but they didn't feel it was the right place to raise their children. They got tired of suffering through the hot, humid summers. They started to miss the change of seasons (having grown up in the Midwest). I think the final straw were the two hurricanes within a week or two of each other that hit that area. They started researching new areas, and one ended up in a suburb of Raleigh, and one came here where I live in Greenville, SC. Both are extremely happy now, and the cost of living is so much better. I fell in love with the area and moved from Chicago myself.

I would encourage you to check out Greenville. It's a wonderful city and well-located for doing all that your heart might desire. We're within an hour of the mountains and Asheville, and kind of in between Charlotte and Atlanta. You can still get to the coast in a few hours' drive if you need to see the ocean, or you can live on a lake in the foothills of the mountains and still be near water.

Whatever you decide, I hope you'll be happy with your decision. Moving is such a major undertaking, and starting over in a new area, making new friends, et cetera can be tough. It's a process but well worth the effort when you end up happy and content.